320:. Following a forensic examination, it was determined the fragments belonged to two separate victims: the first being a girl aged 6–8, while the other was a woman aged 18–20. Four months later, on June 25, the kidnapper called the Jaegers again. For approximately an hour, he talked with the girl's mother, Marietta, during which he reaffirmed that it was him by describing Susan's appearance and the phone calls, ending the conversation by saying that he was unable to return her. A few days later, authorities were contacted by a Three Forks resident named Ralph Green. Green reported an invoice for a phone call made on June 25, which he had not made. While investigating his telephone cables, policemen found a voice gateway and other devices that were built into a line break, which they suspected that Susan Jaeger's kidnapper had used to make the call. Using this information, several profilers from the FBI, who had been working on refining a new technique in
305:, claiming that he had kidnapped the girl and demanding $ 25,000 in ransom. On July 2, the Gallatin County Sheriff's deputy Ron Brown received a similar call. This time, the kidnapper demanded $ 50,000 and, to back up his claims, he described Jaeger's appearance, pointing out that she had a unique fingernail on one index finger, which was later confirmed by her relatives. Initially, police agreed to transfer the ransom, in a veiled attempt to catch the perpetrator, but this was unsuccessful, as nobody came to the drop-off point. On September 24, the kidnapper called the Jaeger family home and talked to Susan's older brother, 16-year-old Daniel, referring to his previous calls to the sheriff and the FBI to prove that it was him. By that time, in order to record the conversation, the family's house had been
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at various ranches, including the
Lockhart Place, where the remains of the two victims were found. After checking his travel schedule, they also successfully placed him in Wyoming in September 1973, after finding a receipt from an auto repair shop in Cheyenne stating that he had been there on September 24, the day the call to the Jaeger family was made. Based on this evidence, Meirhofer was arrested in August 1974 and brought to the police station for interrogation. However, he claimed that he was not responsible for Jaeger's abduction. In an attempt to prove his innocence, he agreed to be interrogated under the influence of
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Meirhofer admitted that he had attempted to establish an intimate relationship with
Smallegan, but after she refused, he abducted her, tying and gagging his victim, from which she would later suffocate to death. In regard to Jaeger, he claimed that he had stabbed the girl to death shortly after kidnapping her, as she had resisted fiercely. His motive for the murder was never determined, as Meirhofer vehemently denied that his aim was to rape her. After killing his victims, Meirhofer dismembered the bodies with a hunting knife and a woodsaw and then burned them in a
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meeting, on
September 24, the kidnapper, presenting himself as "Travis", called the family again, angrily declaring that they would never see their daughter alive again due to their cooperation with the police. During the phone call, Marietta referred to Meirhofer by his name, to which he did not respond. Unbeknownst to Meirhofer, the FBI had been monitoring the call, and after an audiophonoscopic examination, conclusively determined that he indeed was the caller, arresting him on the very next day.
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In the course of the investigation, police considered several suspects but gradually narrowed on
Meirhofer as the most likely culprit. Police noted that a man matching his description had made frequent trips to Three Forks between 1973 and 1974, where he carried out construction and installation work
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involving the confession of two additional murders that had not been linked to
Meirhofer. One was the death of 13-year-old Bernard L. Poelman, shot to death on a bridge in Three Forks on March 19, 1967, while swimming with a friend. Police had initially ascribed the Poelman incident to an accidental
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Four hours after giving his confessions, Meirhofer was found dead in his jail cell, having hanged himself with a towel. Jailers had not been informed
Meirhofer was a murder suspect and he was not put on suicide watch. Sheriff Lesley "Andy" Anderson was formally censured by county officials for the
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Michael E. Raney, who had been beaten to death in Three Forks during an outdoor practice session on May 7, 1968. While a definitive motive for these murders was never established either, Meirhofer himself claimed that before killing Raney, he "wanted to get a little kid." Interrogators suspected
343:
The audio recordings from his interrogation were later shown to Susan's parents who later positively identified the caller as David
Meirhofer. During September of that year, Marietta confronted Meirhofer several times, accusing him of killing her daughter and urging him to confess. After one such
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Upon learning of these findings, on
September 29, Meirhofer confessed to two crimes. He admitted to abducting and killing Susan Jaeger, as well as 19-year-old Sandra Dykman Smallegan, who had gone missing on February 10 of that year from a basketball game in Manhattan. During the interrogation,
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While
Meirhofer was detained at the Gallatin County Jail in Bozeman, authorities began a search of his house and the interior of his car. Searchers found bloodied women's clothing, washed-out blood stains, and a human hand and several fingers, the latter of which Meirhofer had kept in the
324:, made a psychological profile of the supposed offender. By their estimations, the suspect was a white man, aged 25–30, likely local to the area, with a background in the telecommunications industry or the military, and a known social outcast who had problems interacting with others.
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Meirhofer may have committed more than four murders, but confessed only to those in
Gallatin County due to the plea deal with county prosecutors. Some of the Montana crimes that Meirhofer was suspected of committing were later attributed to
218:, where David would spend his childhood and adolescence. He attended the local Manhattan High School where, due to his melancholic temperament and introverted nature, he was considered an outcast and periodically bullied by other students.
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wrote "ShadowMan: An Elusive Psycho Killer and the Birth of FBI Profiling," about the Meirhofer case and the role played by the FBI's first-ever criminal profile, which had only been a theoretical concept at the Bureau to that point.
501:. Marietta Jaeger shares her emotional pain after receiving a call, that lasted an hour, from Meirhofer on the one year anniversary of her daughter's abduction and how the call aided in law enforcement's capture of Meirhofer.
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Meirhofer first came to police attention following the kidnapping of 7-year-old Susan Jaeger. The child had been abducted from a tent in the middle of the night on June 25, 1973, while camping with her family in
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is now a contemporary method used to discover clues pertaining to the characteristics of an unknown offender from evidence at the scene of the crime, and to psychologically profile the perpetrator concerned.
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in 1969, serving in the 5th Communications Battalion. For his achievements in deploying communication systems and controlling military formations during armed assaults, he was awarded the
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test, whose results proved inconclusive. Because they lacked any solid evidence to arrest him, the authorities ultimately released Meirhofer without any charges.
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404:. He was convicted in 1988 and released in 2017. Alan has declined to speak to journalists or police about possible connections between his and David's crimes.
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A young girl was abducted from a state park while camping with her family. Later, a kidnapper made multiple telephone calls to the victim's mother.
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from the Marine Corps and returned to Manhattan. There he supported himself as a self-employed handyman and carpenter, running a shop in the city.
309:, resulting in a successful recording of the full conversation. After examining it, the FBI managed to trace the caller to a filling station in
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Depicts the kidnapping of a seven-year-old girl and discusses the lesson of faith and forgiveness that the mother learned from the experience
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The police and FBI investigation into the abduction and murder of Susan Jaeger was portrayed in the May 27, 2003, episode of the television
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Susan Jaeger's mother, Marietta Jaeger, wrote a book about Susan's kidnapping and murder. "The Lost Child" was published June 1983.
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between 1967 and 1974 — three of them children. Meirhofer killed himself shortly after confessing, and was never tried in court.
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1076:
Journey Into Darkness: The FBI's Premier Investigator Penetrates the Minds and Motives of the Most Terrifying Serial Killers
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214:, one of Clifford and Eleanor Meirhofer's five children. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to the small town of
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313:. Despite this revelation, they were unable to apprehend a suspect, and the case remained dormant for several months.
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The cases associated with Meirhofer were closed, but his reasoning and motivations for the murders remain uncertain.
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criminal offenders, and Meirhofer would be the first serial killer to be actively investigated using this technique.
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Ron Franscell (2022). ShadowMan: An Elusive Psycho Killer and the Birth of FBI Profiling. Berkely, ISBN 0593199278
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441:" re-enacts Susan Jaeger's kidnapping and the FBI investigation in search of her kidnapper, aired: October 1991.
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In February 1974, approximately 1,200 skeletal fragments were found at the Lockhart Place, an abandoned ranch in
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shooting or ricochet from hunters or target shooters. The second additional murder was that of 12-year-old
382:(1955–1986), another serial killer active in Montana in the 1970s and '80s; and to long-haul truck driver
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Meirhofer's younger brother, Alan Meihofer, was arrested in 1986 for a string of child rapes near
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261:. In August 1971, he returned to the United States, where he continued his military service at
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Depicts the kidnapping of a seven-year-old girl and development of criminal profiling at FBI
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After graduating in 1967, Meirhofer worked several odd jobs before being drafted into the
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suicide, and was voted out of office in the next election after two decades in the job.
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Analyzing Criminal Minds: Forensic Investigative Science for the 21st Century
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Whoever Fights Monsters: My Twenty Years Tracking Serial Killers for the FBI
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483:. In the episode, the name David Meirhofer was changed to David Masterson.
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A year after a girl is kidnapped, her abductor calls the girl's mother.
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873:. Basingstoke: HarperCollins Distribution Services. pp. 1–121.
905:. New York City, NY: Berkely/Penguin-Random House. pp. 1–304.
843:. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Publishing House. pp. 1–121.
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ShadowMan: An Elusive Psycho Killer and the Birth of FBI Profiling
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on October 1, spending the next few months at a military base in
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336:" that might make suspects less likely to lie). He also took a
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In the early 1970s when Meirhofer's crimes were ongoing, the
591:"Manhattan resident is charged in Jaeger, Smallegan murders"
1129:
The Serial Killers: A Study in the Psychology of Violence
1112:. United States: Simon & Schuster. pp. 213–217.
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789:"Transcript of Confession Portrays a 'Mindless Monster'"
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United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War
241:. After completing his basic training, he was sent to
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Meirhofer arrested by FBI agents on September 25, 1974
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Journey of Hope: Marietta Jaeger-Lane, Three Folks MT
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Serial killers who died by suicide in prison custody
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276:
Kidnapping of Susan Jaeger, investigation and arrest
174:(June 8, 1949 – September 29, 1974) was an American
631:"Meirhofer Service Record Unveiled By Marine Corps"
1093:. Santa Barbara: Praeger Press. pp. 163–165.
1049:
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768:
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714:
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513:was an American killer executed in Montana (1998).
807:"Murderer Kept Victim's Hand, Fingers in Freezer"
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1023:"20/20 on ID - The Power of Forgiveness - S3.E5"
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210:David Meirhofer was born on June 8, 1949, in
1131:. London: Virgin Books Ltd. pp. 87–90.
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293:. Three days later, a man called one of the
77:Gallatin County Jail, Bozeman, Montana, U.S.
1029:. Plexus Entertainment, LLC. Archived from
731:"Phone calls lead to murder-kidnap suspect"
544:"Man Admits Killings, Found Hanged In Jail"
524:List of serial killers in the United States
1227:American people who died in prison custody
755:"Officers Examine Meirhofer's Possessions"
717:"Officers Examine Meirhofer's Possessions"
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368:, Meirhofer's defense attorney brokered a
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245:, before being dispatched to fight in the
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611:. The Montana Standard. October 2, 1974.
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225:in the fall of 1968. He enlisted in the
1237:Prisoners who died in Montana detention
1127:Wilson, Colin; Seaman, Donald (2011) .
1107:
770:"Meirhofer Confession Leaves Some Gaps"
753:Annabelle Phillips (October 16, 1974).
715:Annabelle Phillips (October 16, 1974).
654:Stephen G. Michaud (October 26, 1986).
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645:
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1074:Douglas, John; Olshaker, Mark (1997).
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824:Annabelle Phillips (October 2, 1974).
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700:Annabelle Phillips (October 2, 1974).
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1158:Criminal Profiling: How It All Began
963:. CBS Interactive Inc. Archived from
668:from the original on October 12, 2021
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546:. The Press-Courier. October 2, 1974.
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193:(FBI) had been refining a method of
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702:"Confessed Murderer Takes His Life"
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13:
826:"Confessed Murderer Hangs Himself"
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16:American serial killer (1949–1974)
14:
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609:"Gravesite rites scheduled today"
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1000:. AT&T Intellectual Property
929:Kanter, Donna (3 October 1991).
839:JAEGER, MARIETTA (1 June 1983).
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263:Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
1207:20th-century American criminals
1050:Cited works and further reading
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901:FRANSCELL, RON (1 March 2022).
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420:In 2022, author and journalist
191:Federal Bureau of Investigation
1252:Suicides by hanging in Montana
1222:American murderers of children
1153:FindAGrave for David Meirhofer
1060:. Zondervan Publishing House.
994:Season 3, Episode 5 | DIRECTV"
828:. The High Country. p. 1.
757:. The High Country. p. 1.
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719:. The High Country. p. 2.
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704:. The High Country. p. 4.
638:. October 13, 1974. p. 2.
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291:Missouri Headwaters State Park
251:National Defense Service Medal
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1232:People from Bozeman, Montana
656:"The FBI's New Psyche Squad"
7:
1242:Serial killers from Montana
957:"The FBI Files: Dark Woods"
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10:
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870:The Lost Child | Softcover
1056:Jaeger, Marietta (1983).
867:JAEGER, MARIETTA (1983).
477:"The FBI Files"
459:The FBI Files: Dark Woods
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992:The Power of Forgiveness
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332:(then believed to be a "
1217:American male criminals
1212:American serial killers
1089:Jacobs, Don E. (2011).
488:Investigation Discovery
486:In September 2013, the
439:FBI: The Untold Stories
364:In an attempt to avoid
352:Confessions and suicide
297:'s regional offices in
268:In 1973, Meirhofer was
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259:Vietnam Campaign Medal
178:who confessed to four
737:. September 28, 1974.
597:. September 28, 1974.
384:Richard William Davis
283:
255:Vietnam Service Medal
931:"The Meirhofer Case"
595:The Montana Standard
318:Three Forks, Montana
270:honorably discharged
172:David Gail Meirhofer
45:David Gail Meirhofer
811:Evening Independent
735:Great Falls Tribune
408:Media presentations
402:Seattle, Washington
127:Span of crimes
83:Cause of death
1175:2019-06-13 at the
813:. October 2, 1974.
795:. October 1, 1974.
777:. October 3, 1974.
661:The New York Times
437:docudrama series "
366:capital punishment
322:offender profiling
286:
284:Susan Marie Jaeger
199:Offender profiling
161:September 25, 1974
87:Suicide by hanging
70:September 29, 1974
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1138:978-0-75351-321-7
1119:978-0-67171-561-8
1100:978-0-313-39699-1
1084:978-1-439-19981-7
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311:Cheyenne, Wyoming
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96:"Mr. Travis"
72:(1974-09-29)
55:June 8, 1949
1202:1974 deaths
1192:1949 births
998:directv.com
793:Argus-Press
672:October 12,
463:dailymotion
380:Wayne Nance
334:truth serum
247:Vietnam War
1186:Categories
1067:0310458110
530:References
307:wiretapped
235:California
206:Early life
51:1949-06-08
1027:GoWatchIt
479:entitled
473:docudrama
375:Boy Scout
370:plea deal
338:polygraph
231:San Diego
216:Manhattan
182:in rural
131:1967–1974
1173:Archived
1037:31 March
1004:31 March
971:31 March
941:31 March
935:imdb.com
886:31 March
666:Archived
518:General:
505:See also
359:fire pit
303:Colorado
257:and the
145:State(s)
499:(S3 E5)
490:series
475:series
184:Montana
180:murders
150:Montana
136:Country
118:Victims
113:Details
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299:Denver
253:, the
61:, U.S.
413:Books
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674:2021
223:Army
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41:Born
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295:FBI
108:N/A
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